Sunday, October 28, 2012

Car Thief Accidentally Shoots Himself Trying to Escape

Tracy Joyce was riding through Winter Park on Friday afternoon when he saw someone drive by in his stolen blue Volvo. The
scenario ended when the teenager behind the wheel of the Volvo rammed
an unmarked police car and accidentally shot himself in the leg as he
tried to run away.He jumped from the car and ran
north toward the railroad tracks with officers in pursuit, leapt a hedge
and pulled a .44-caliber handgun from his waistband, according to the
report. The next thing officers heard was a pop.

Johnson had
accidentally shot himself in the right calf. He was booked into Orange
County Jail about 11:15 p.m. after being treated at a hospital.

The passenger in the Volvo, Gerald Lavert Jones, 18, also was arrested. He was not hurt.

It's a good thing they didn't shoot the kid. But, it's a bad thing that every teenage car thief has easy access to guns. Unfortunately, that's how it is in Florida these days. We can thank the gun-rights advocates and their gun lobby for that.

My point, which you are carefully avoiding, is that stealing a car is already illegal. That didn't stop this kid from doing it. The law can address crime once it occurs, but it's a violation of rights to pass restrictions or bans on good citizens because a few thugs will do wrong.